PRESSURE GROUPS/ INTEREST GROUPS

PRESSURE GROUPS/ INTEREST GROUPS 

Introduction

1. known as 'invisible empires'- Finer
2. integral component of pluralist democracy
3. pressure group politics is most influential in USA
1. not in UK since parties represent interest
4. 1990s: growth of pressure groups in India
5. Rajni Kothari
1. agents of modernisation, reservoirs of leadership
2. communal pressure group dominant in India
3. congress hegemony didn't allow pressure group to gain primacy
4. in fact, other political parties were reduced to status of pressure
6. Rudolf and Rudolph: analysed role of caste associations
7. Myron Weinar: book- Politics of Scarcity
1. highlighted role of communal pressure groups
8. Christopher Jaffrelot: role of RSS in Indian polity
9. Prof. Anand chakravorty: 
1. GoI should have shown greater accommodation towards pressure groups
2. many are banned under ULPA
3. it would have been easier to manage seccesionist trends
10. Robert Hard, Stanley Kochanek
1. highlight the changing nature of pressure group in India
1. since 1990s, pressure group politics is shifting from state dominated pluralism to more powerful pressure group politics
2. started gaining legitimacy since LPG reforms
3. GoI incorporated different interest groups in policy making
4. eg- NAC, NSAB, NITI Aayog
2. increase in power of business group
1. part of foreign delegation
2. parallel business summit with political summit
3. communal pressure group
4. pressure group of dominant farmers
5. India lacks women pressure groups, environmental lobbies, student union, trade union
1. many are junior partners of political parties
6. state is dominant
7. report of IB: many NGOs are detrimental to growth of India.